Method and device for displaying images in a collage

ABSTRACT

A collage for displaying images includes a plurality of frames. The frames include a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter, having at least one edge, that defines an image holding area. At least one magnet is attached to the rear wall of each of the plurality of frames. A first of the plurality of frames and a second of the plurality of frames differ in at least one of size and shape.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to frames for displaying graphic material and, more specifically, to a kit of frames adapted to adhere to a metal object and to be positionable to create a collage.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Picture and photo frames are known in the art and, more specifically, magnetic frames are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,864 discloses a frame for displaying informational sheet material on a steel refrigerator. The frame includes permanent magnets that magnetically adhere the frame to the refrigerator surface. The frame is preferably formed of thin-walled plastic tubing to reduce total frame weight.

In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,489 discloses a picture frame made from a flexible magnetic sheet material that is part of a mailer including a gift card and envelope. The gift card has a front surface carrying parallel strips of double-sided adhesive tape each having an outwardly facing releasable adhesive on one side to which the picture frame can be attached to display a photograph between the picture frame and card. The recipient of the mailer can peel the flexible picture frame from the card, remove the photograph, and magnetically attach the picture frame to a metal surface to display the photograph. Also disclosed is an embodiment wherein the card is a display card made from a magnetically attractive material.

In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,659 discloses a picture frame having a substantially stiff, rectangular, planar transparent sheet with lip members disposed on two rear opposing sides to slideably receive therein the object to be displayed directly behind the transparent sheet and a sheet of magnetic material to be received within said lips directly behind the object to be displayed. The magnetic sheet, when placed against a metallic surface, holds the frame in place by its attraction to such metallic surface.

In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,738 discloses a clear plastic that may be either hingedly opened from and closed to or otherwise removed from and replaced in laminar relationship with respect to a refrigerator/freezer door. Adhesive, magnetic or other suitable fastening materials are used to fix display items to the lens or door. When the lens closes over the items a visually pleasing frame protects the displayed items and allows for easy removal and substitution. In one embodiment, the lens is hinged to one side of a freezer door on an upright, top-freezer refrigerator. In a second embodiment, lenses are hinged to the outside edges and latched on the inside edges of both doors of an upright, side-by-side double-door refrigerator/freezer combination. In either embodiment, the lens can be inset into the door so as to provide surfaces on the same planes as those of the remainder of the door. In a third and aftermarket embodiment, a sheet of relatively rigid material, such as plastic, aluminum or sheet metal, is attached to an existing refrigerator/freezer door by means of two-sided tape, magnets or other suitable fastening material. A sheet of magnetic material may be used. The lens is mounted to the sheet and pictures and other printed matter are mounted on the sheet instead of being mounted directly on the refrigerator/freezer door.

In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,465 discloses a magnetically mounted display board having a rear surface providing magnetic support, a display panel which removably holds flat articles for display, and a transparent protectant for viewing and protection of the displayed articles. The display panel and the transparent protectant are bound together with a binding tape. This allows one to display photos, children's artwork, calendars, post cards and other flat articles on a refrigerator in a creative, organized and protected fashion.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a collage for displaying images is disclosed. The collage includes a plurality of frames having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter. The front and rear walls define an image holding area, and the perimeter, which includes at least one edge, defines an image display area. At least one magnet is attached to the rear wall of each of the plurality of frames. A first of the plurality of frames and a second of the plurality of frames differ in at least one of size and shape.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a collage for displaying images is disclosed. The collage includes a plurality of frames having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter that includes at least one edge and that defines an image display area. An image holding area is defined by the front and rear walls of the frame, and at least one magnet is attached to the rear wall of each of the plurality of frames. A first of the plurality of frames includes a first perimeter having a first edge that defines a first image display area, and a second of the plurality of frames includes a second perimeter having a second edge that defines a second image display area. The first edge of the first of the plurality of frames and the second edge of the second of the plurality of frames are able to abut, thereby enabling the images disposed in the first and second frames to abut when the first edge abuts the second edge.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method of creating a collage on a metal object is disclosed. The method includes inserting a plurality of images between a front wall and a rear wall of a plurality of frames that differ in at least one of size and shape, and attaching the plurality of frames onto the metal object via a magnet attached to a rear surface of the rear wall. The method further includes aligning at least two of the plurality of frames to each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one exemplary embodiment of a collage, with frames adjacent each other, constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the collage of FIG. 1, with the frames of the collage spaced apart;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of one exemplary embodiment of a frame of the collage of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the frame of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of another size of the frame of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of another size of the frame of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another size of the frame of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of another size of the frame of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of another size of the frame of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a refrigerator including a collage of frames.

While the method and device described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings and with specific reference to FIG. 1, a collage of frames is generally depicted by reference numeral 20. As shown therein, the collage 20 in this one exemplary embodiment includes a plurality of frames 22. A user may place one or more images 24 in each of the frames 22, and place the frames 22 onto a metal object 26. The frames may be placed directly adjacent to each other, as seen in FIG. 2, and/or may be spaced apart from each other, as seen in FIG. 3.

The frame 22, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, may be constructed from a clear material, such as glass, Plexiglas® and acrylic, among others, and includes a front wall 28, a rear wall 30, a perimeter 31, and a mounting portion 32.

In one exemplary embodiment, the front and rear walls 28, 30, respectively, have a generally rectangular shape and are substantially equal in size and shape. An image holding area 34 (FIG. 4), and in this exemplary embodiment a gap 34, may be defined by and located between the front wall and rear walls 28, 30. The front and rear walls 28, 30 may be connected at one or more connector portions 35 located at one or more edges of the frame 22, such as at a top edge 36, a bottom edge 38, a first side edge 40, and/or a second side edge 42. In this exemplary embodiment, however, the connector portion 35 may be disposed near the bottom edge 38 of the frame 22. As such, once the image 24 is inserted into the image holding area 34, the image 24 may rest on the connector portion 35, thereby preventing the image 24 from falling out of the frame 22.

The perimeter 31 of the frame 22 may include one or more edges, depending on the shape of the frame 22. For example, if the frame is round or oval, the perimeter may consist of only one edge, whereas a triangular frame include three edges, and a rectangular frame 22 may include four edges, such as for example, the top edge 36, the bottom edge 38, the first side edge 40, and the second side edge 42. The perimeter 31 may, therefore, define and are in the frame 22 through which or from which the image 24 may be viewable.

The mounting portion 32 may be attached to a rear surface 44 of the rear wall 30, and more specifically, may be attached to a center of the rear surface 44 of the rear wall 30. In this exemplary embodiment, the mounting portion 32 may be a magnet 32, attached to the rear wall 30 by an adhesive.

The image 24 may any type of thin imagery that may be desirable to display, including, but not limited to, photographs, negatives, magazine/newspaper cut-outs, drawings, etc. The image 24 may have a front surface 46 and a rear surface 48, and may have one or more edges, which may depend on the shape of the frame 22 for which the image 24 is intended. More specifically, the image 24 may have a top edge 50, a bottom edge 52, a first side edge 54, and/or a second side edge 56, such that the-image 24 may fit into a frame 22 having a similar shape. In this exemplary embodiment, frame 22 has a generally rectangular shape, and as such the image 24 may have a similar corresponding shape. The edges 50, 52, 54, 56 of the image 24 may extend to and from the edges 36, 38, 40, and 42 of the frame 22 and, as such, the image 24 may occupy substantially the entire gap 34.

In one exemplary embodiment, the collage of frames 20 may include a variety of frame sizes and shapes. For example, as seen in FIG. 5, a frame 22a may have a generally rectangular shape with an approximate height of 3.25 inches and an approximate width of 2.25 inches. Additionally, a frame 22 b may have a generally rectangular shape with an approximate height of 5 inches and an approximate width of 3.5 inches, as seen in FIG. 6; a frame 22 c may have a generally rectangular shape with an approximate height of 6 inches and an approximate width of 4 inches, as seen in FIG. 7; a frame 22 d may have a generally rectangular shape with an approximate height of 5 inches and an approximate width of 7 inches, as seen in FIG. 8; and a frame 22 e may have a generally rectangular shape with an approximate height of 10 inches and an approximate width of 8 inches, as seen in FIG. 9.

The above exemplary embodiment may include many variations thereof to achieve and/or create additional or alternative features. For example, the frame 22 may be any shape and size desirable, including but not limited to, round, square, oval, odd shaped, or a combination thereof. Similarly, the sizes of the frames 22 may vary from the sizes described above. For example, the heights and widths of the frames 22, as described above, may be reversed such that the height of the frames 22 becomes the width, and the width of the frames 22 becomes the heights. Additionally, the frames 22 may have any other height and width deemed appropriate for the displaying of images 24. The mounting portion or magnet 32 may also be of various shapes and sizes, and may be located on other parts of the frame 22. For example, the magnet 32 may be rectangular, round, square, oval, odd shaped, or a combination thereof. The magnet 32 may also be located anywhere on the rear surface 44 of the rear wall 30, such as for example, near the top edge 36, the bottom edge 38, the first side edge 40, and/or the second side edge 42.

For reasons of clarity and brevity, the following operation will be described while referring to one or more of the frames 22 a-22 e described previously. It should be realized, however, that any of the frames 22, according to the various embodiment describe above, may be used instead or in addition to the frames 22 a-22 e. A user may insert one or more images 24 into a frame 22 and, in this exemplary embodiment, may insert an image 24 into the frame 22 a. The user may further insert additional images 24 into additional frames 22 a, 22 b, . . . 22 n. The frames 22, as part of the collage of frames 20, may then be placed on the metal object 26, such as a refrigerator 26, in one of several manners. For example, as seen in FIG. 10, the collage of frames 20 may be arranged such that the frames 22 abut each other. In this exemplary embodiment, the collage of frames 20 may hold images 24 that correspond to each other, such as for example, several images 24 that in combination create a panoramic view. Alternatively and/or additionally, the abutting frames 22 may provide a seemingly seamless collage of frames 20 on the refrigerator 26, which as seen in FIG. 10, creates a clean and organized look.

While the above has been described with reference to specific examples which are intended to be illustrative only and not to be limiting of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes, additions or deletions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A collage for displaying images, comprising: a plurality of frames having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter, wherein the front and rear walls define an image holding area, and wherein the perimeter includes at least one edge and defines an image display area; a plurality of magnets, wherein at least one of the plurality of magnets is attached to the rear wall of each of the plurality of frames; a first of the plurality of frames; and a second of the plurality of frames, wherein the first of the plurality of frames and the second of the plurality of frames differ in at least one of size and shape.
 2. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the magnets are attached to a rear surface of the rear wall.
 3. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the magnets are attached to the rear wall with adhesive.
 4. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the magnets have a generally round shape.
 5. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the plurality of frames are constructed from an acrylic material.
 6. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the plurality of frames are constructed from a transparent material.
 7. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the plurality of frames have a generally rectangular shape.
 8. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has a generally round shape.
 9. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has a generally square shape.
 10. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has a generally non-rectangular shape.
 11. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has an approximate size of 10 inches×8 inches.
 12. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has an approximate size of 5 inches×7 inches.
 13. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has an approximate size of 6 inches×4 inches.
 14. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has an approximate size of 5 inches×3.5 inches.
 15. The collage for displaying images of claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has an approximate size of 3.25 inches× of 2.25 inches.
 16. A collage for displaying images, comprising: a plurality of frames having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter, wherein the perimeter includes at least one edge and defines an image display area; an image holding area defined by the front and rear walls of the frame; a plurality of magnets, wherein at least one of the plurality of magnets is attached to the rear wall of each of the plurality of frames; a first of the plurality of frames having a first perimeter, wherein the first perimeter includes a first edge and defines a first image display area; and a second of the plurality of frames having a second perimeter, wherein the second perimeter includes a second edge and defines a second image display area, wherein the first edge of the first of the plurality of frames and the second edge of the second of the plurality of frames are able to abut, thereby enabling the images disposed in the first and second frames to abut when the first edge abuts the second edge.
 17. The collage for displaying images of claim 16, wherein the plurality of frames are constructed from an acrylic material.
 18. The collage for displaying images of claim 16, wherein the plurality of frames are constructed from a transparent material.
 19. The collage for displaying images of claim 16, wherein the plurality of frames have a generally rectangular shape.
 20. The collage for displaying images of claim 16, wherein the plurality of frames comprises at least two different sized frames chosen from frames having an approximate size of 10 inches×8 inches, 5 inches×7 inches, 6 inches×4 inches, 5 inches×3.5 inches, and 3.25 inches×2.25 inches.
 21. The collage for displaying images of claim 16, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has a generally round shape.
 22. The collage for displaying images of claim 16, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has a generally square shape.
 23. The collage for displaying images of claim 16, wherein the first of the plurality of frames has a generally non-rectangular shape.
 24. A method of creating a collage on a metal object, comprising: inserting a plurality of images between a front wall and a rear wall of a plurality of frames, wherein the plurality of frames differ in at least one of size and shape; attaching the plurality of frames onto the metal object via a magnet attached to a rear surface of the rear wall; and aligning at least two of the plurality of frames relative to each other.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein attaching the plurality of frames onto the metal object includes attaching the plurality of frames to a refrigerator.
 26. The method of claim 24, comprising abutting a first edge of a first of the plurality of frames to a second edge of a second of the plurality of frames, whereby a first image disposed in the first of the plurality of frames abuts a second image disposed in the second of the plurality frames when the first edge abuts the second edge 